Pitt women’s basketball falls to Duquesne in close city match, 56-55

Pitt women’s basketball (1-3, 0-0 ACC) faced Duquesne (3-1, 0-0 A-10) Saturday afternoon at UPMC Cooper Field House in the 41st edition of the City Game. The Panthers won the last two games against Duquesne, but the Dukes cut their win streak on Saturday and took the game by a single point 56-55. 

Uncharacteristically, the City Game started with two tip-offs after an immediate jump ball right after the first tip-off. After the second start, the Panthers got possession for all of a second before turning it over. Despite its turnovers, Pitt still got the first points on the board.

The first quarter was an even match, with possession going back and forth. With six minutes to go in the first quarter, Duquesne held the 3-2 lead. After a technical foul against Duquesne, Pitt tied it up 3-3. 

Pitt’s downfall in the first half was their field goal accuracy. By the end of the first, Pitt was 4-14 in field goals and 0-5 in three-pointers. However, what they lacked in shot accuracy, they made up for in defensive rebounds.

The second quarter started with Pitt senior forward Gabby Hutcherson breaking the tie with a jumper that gave Pitt the lead, 15-13. The next Duquesne possession tied the game up once again thanks to junior forward Kiandra Browne’s drive. 

Both teams traded buckets for much of the second quarter. One of Pitt’s key offensive players, junior forward Rapuluchi Ayodele, found herself in some foul trouble early in the game and took a seat mid-quarter. Ayodele and senior forward Liatu King have averaged double-doubles this season, and the pair were crucial to the successes of Pitt’s games so far. 

King extended Pitt’s lead to six points in the last two minutes of the quarter. But Duquesne cut the deficit to four, and Pitt went into the locker rooms with the 27-23 lead.

Pitt came out of the locker rooms at the start of the third quarter and extended their lead by seven points. That was until Ayodele made a three-point play after drawing the foul off her shot and extended Duquesne’s deficit to nine.

But Duquesne junior guard Megan McConnel picked up her 15th point and cut her team’s deficit down to five with five minutes to go in the quarter. Shortly after, Duquesne junior guard Nae Bernard cut the deficit down to just three after a three-pointer. 

Although Pitt never lost their lead in the third quarter, they missed many opportunities to extend it thanks to their free throw percentage. With one minute left in the third quarter, Pitt was 12-22 in free throws. After another technical foul on Duquesne, Pitt picked up two more free throws and went into the fourth with the 44-40 lead.

The fourth quarter took a similar form to the first. Possession and the lead went back and forth. At the start of the fourth quarter, a Panther turnover resulted in a Duquesne possession. After back-to-back field goals, Duquesne took the lead for the first time since the second quarter, 45-44.

King tied it with less than six minutes to go after she drew a foul on her drive and sank a free throw, 45-45. But not long after, Duquesne sank a three-pointer and extended their lead by three, 48-45. 

With less than three minutes to go, the Dukes extended their lead by eight points, 53-45. Pitt cut it down to just one with twelve seconds left. However, after Pitt was forced to foul, Duquesne sank their extra free throws and took the win, 56-55.

Pitt plays next at the Peterson Events Center on Nov. 21 against Coppin State.